Job summary
- Main area
- Learning Disabilities
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 7
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 334-CLI-7095634
- Employer
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Maudsley Hospital
- Town
- London
- Salary
- £54,320 - £60,981 per annum inclusive of inner HCAs
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 24/06/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Clinical/Counselling Psychologist (Learning Disabilities)
NHS AfC: Band 7
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has a rich history, well-established community links and an international reputation. We deliver specialist services in the London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Wandsworth and Richmond.
We are committed to provide a high quality and specialist care to our service users and we are recognised for our care and treatment we provide. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as ‘good’.
We launched our five-year strategy, Aiming High; Changing Lives in 2021 together with Our Care Improvement System as our quality management system methodology to make a positive impact on patient care, outcomes and staff experience. By joining SLaM, all staff will get the opportunity to be part of this exciting improvement journey supported with learning and development to harness everyone’s potential as change makers.
The trust recognises the unique and valuable contribution that people with lived experience of mental illness can bring to a role. We therefore welcome applications from people with lived experience and consider them as an asset to the Trust.
Our Values
We take pride in providing specialist care to our service users where our Trust values and our promise to be caring, kind, polite, prompt, honest, listen and do what I say I’m going to do is at the heart of everything we do. When you join us, you’ll be part of something special.
As a Trust we are happy to talk flexible working.
Job overview
Do you have experience of working with adults with learning disabilities who have additional mental health and/or behaviours that challenge? Would you like to further develop your therapeutic and consultation skills within a community team working with adults with learning disabilities and their networks? If you have an interest in using your skills and abilities to help improve the lives of local people with learning disabilities, we would love to hear from you. We are a supportive and friendly team and would welcome applications from those who are recently or newly qualified
Main duties of the job
You will be expected to work directly and indirectly with adults with learning disabilities, families, and staff teams to provide a range of high quality, collaborative assessments, including neuropsychological assessments, and interventions, and be skilled in psychological formulation. You will be expected to carry out research and audits as part of your work and encouraged to collaborate on service developments and quality improvement initiatives with local stakeholders, particularly service users and carers. We are looking for someone who is keen to work creatively and inclusively to work alongside people with learning disabilities and carers to improve health and wellbeing
Working for our organisation
You would be part of the specialist borough MHLD community team comprising Clinical Psychologists, Behaviour Support Practitioner, Psychiatrists, Community Psychiatric Nurses, Administrators and a Team Leader. We are committed to multiagency working and work closely with health and social care colleagues and other stakeholders as part of LD Partnership.
You will be also part of the wider professional group of 15 Psychologists and Behaviour Support Practitioners working across the 3 boroughs of Lewisham, Southwark and Lambeth, with a Consultant Clinical Psychologist providing leadership within in each borough.
You will be encouraged to make use of regular CPD sessions within the Trust as well as special interest/supervision groups offered by MHLD Psychologists and Behaviour Support Practitioner within the service, aimed at further developing therapeutic skills and knowledge, such as systemic, CAT, neuropsychology and Positive Behaviour Support
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
You will be expected to work collaboratively to offer a range of psychological assessments and interventions for and with people with learning disabilities and their networks. This includes direct work with adults with learning disabilities, individually and in groups, and indirect work with carers, families and paid support staff. You may be expected to take on care coordinator role and facilitate network meetings. You will be required to take on team roles in some areas to support MDT and multi agency working, such as assisting in care pathway development.
We work closely with the IOPPN DClinPsy programme and the Estia Centre, a training, research and development resource for people with support adults with learning disabilities and additional mental health needs. This means there are opportunities to be involved in teaching and training others and supporting the development of others as part of your role and opportunities for working collaboratively on shared research interests
See job description for detailed information about role and responsibilities
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Entry-level qualification in Applied Psychology (Doctorate in Clinical Psychology; MSc and PG Diploma in Counselling Psychology) OR Masters level qualification in Psychotherapy that has been accepted by the APC/BPC/UKCP/BACP/BABCP for purposes of professional registration
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Theoretical knowledge of psychopathology and the evidence base for the relevant treatment of adults with learning disabilities who have additional mental health needs, psychological distress or challenging behaviour
- Knowledge of psychological assessment, therapy and its therapeutic application as well as clinical psychometrics
- Knowledge of legislation in relation to the client group and mental health issues, child and adult protection, and equalities
- Knowledge of factors affecting acceptability and accessibility of mental health care.
- To deliver psychological/psychotherapeutic therapy across cultural and other differences
Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience of receiving clinical supervision across a range of client needs
- Experience of assessment and treatment of clients with a range of psychological needs of a complex nature within the specialty of learning disabilities
- Experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities. This may have been gained through work, research, volunteering and / or lived experience
- Experience of developing and carrying out audit/research projects
- Significant post-qualification/graduation experience including experience of individual and group therapy with people with complex mental health needs
Desirable criteria
- The Trust encourages and welcomes applications from people with lived experience of mental health challenges. We see this as valuable and recognise the positive impact this experience can have on the work we do
Skills
Essential criteria
- To communicate skilfully and sensitively complex and sensitive information with clients, carers and colleagues overcoming barriers to communication including sensory, and emotional difficulties, cultural differences and hostility to or rejection of information
- To plan and schedule assessment and interventions for individual clients and groups and carers (and for meetings such as CPA and case reviews where appropriate
- To be skilled in the administration of psychometric and neuropsychological tests, including those that require complex manipulation of test materials
- To plan allocation of tasks to assistants/trainees as appropriates
- Well-developed IT skills including entry and analysis of research data
Abilities
Essential criteria
- Ability to work effectively within a multi-disciplinary team, contributing to effective team functioning and holding team roles
- Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate
- Ability to develop and use complex multi-media materials for presentations in public, professional and academic meetings
- Ability to maintain concentration and to remain in restricted positions for long periods during observations, assessments and psychological interventions, and to deal with unexpected interruptions or changes during these
- Ability to manage emotionally stressful situations such as working with victims of abuse or trauma, or with people who engage in severe self-harming or aggressive behaviour
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Helen Quigley
- Job title
- Consultant Clinical Psychologist
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07530883789
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